Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken Sliders

This is a great dinner for a busy weeknight! Slow cook some chicken thighs with bbq sauce, and slather it on Hawaiian rolls with or without toppings. Super flavorful, with sweet tangy, bbq sauce, this is one the whole family will love (and the bbq shredded chicken is great for meal prep!). 

BBQ Chicken Slider Recipe

One of the most popular recipes right now on our site are these cheeseburger sliders. I wanted to publish another slider recipe that was super easy, and could feed a family with leftovers, but double as a crowd pleaser. This is a set it and forget it recipe. Place some chicken thighs in a slow cooker with bbq sauce, set it and forget it. The end result is a pulled chicken, thats sweet, tangy, and melts perfectly into a slab of Hawaiian rolls.

Ingredients needed to make pulled chicken sliders:

This is really a simple recipe. All you need is chicken, and bbq sauce for the chicken filling. What kind of each is up to the chef, but here’s some helpful tips! 

• For slow cooker chicken, I used chicken thighs for this recipe. They have a high fat content that gives them great texture for shredding.
  • You can also use chicken breasts, but you have to be careful not to dry them out. For this reason, I recommend adding about 2 tbsp of olive oil to your chicken breasts in a slow cooker.
• BBQ Sauce: I like mine sweet, so I use Sweet Baby Rays with 2 tbsp of honey added.
  • You can make homemade bbq sauce, too.

Place the chicken in a slow cooker, along with about 1/4 cup of bbq sauce. Cook it on medium heat for about 4 hours. Chicken is fully cooked at 165 degrees fahrenheit. When you slow cook chicken,  you’ll notice that there is some liquid in the slow cooker. Using a ladle, remove the majority of this liquid, leaving just enough to keep the chicken juicy as you shred it. Add in 1/2 cup of bbq sauce to the chicken, and shred with a fork as you mix it in.

I find it is personal preference on if you like really saucy chicken or not. Add in more BBQ sauce if you think you need more sauce, once the chicken is fully shredded. It absorbs it pretty well. 

BBQ Chicken Slider Toppings

I love this topped with slaw for a nice crunch element! It really compliments the sweet, smokey chicken. We have an apple-radish slaw that is so good and crunchy. You could also use this Asian inspired slaw, or just go with a classic cole slaw.

If you want a melty, gooey finish, place

What I like most about these sliders is they’re a full meal deal. You have Hawaiian rolls for starch, chicken for protein, and slaw for a veggie. Sounds like a perfect meal for an all in one and done type of dinner! 

Assembling Easy Chicken Sliders

Once the chicken is fully cooked and sauced to your liking, slice the Hawaiian rolls vertically, so you have 2 slabs, both the top and the bottom. Place the shredded chicken in the middle of the 2 slabs, add cole slaw if you like, then slice and serve! It’s that easy. 

If you like this recipe, you’ll also love our pressed Italian sandwiches, our healthy chicken salad, and our slow cooker meatballs!

Serving BBQ Chicken Sliders

I like to serve these on a big platter for my guests to graze on (if I’m serving them at a party).

If I’m serving them at home, I’ll just place them on a large plate, and we snack on them at our leisure. If I have leftovers, I like them cold honestly! If you are just serving these as dinner to your small family and want to warm them up the next day, consider serving the rolls and the chicken separately, make your own style. That way, if you have leftovers, you can store them separately to assembly for lunch or dinner the next day. No soggy buns here. : )

What do you think about this recipe? Have questions? Comment below! Don’t forget to like us on Facebook, and connect with us on Instagram and tag your @Laughingspatula recipes with #laughingspatula,while you’re at it…We love to see your pics!

Enjoy! – Kathi and Rachel

BBQ Chicken Sliders

Tender shredded chicken cooked low and slow on Hawaiian rolls for an easy recipe or a crowd favorite.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours

Total Time: 4 hours hours 5 minutes minutes

Servings: 12 sliders

Author: Kathi & Rachel

Equipment

• 1 Slow Cooker

Ingredients

• 8-10 chicken thighs
• 1 cup bbq sauce
• 12 Hawaiian Rolls

Instructions

• Place chicken thighs in slow cooker. Add 1/4 cup bbq sauce. Cook on medium heat for 4 hours.
• After 4 hours, chicken should be at least 165 degrees fahrenheit. If not, cook until 165 degrees. Remove liquid in slow cooker using a ladle. Shred chicken with for, and add in remaining bbq sauce. Stir to combine.
• Slice Hawaiian rolls vertically, leaving 1 top and 1 bottom slab of rolls. Place chicken in between rolls. Slice into individual sandwiches. Serve & enjoy!